Poll reveals how Trump and Barack Obama would do in head-to-head race if both were to run in 2028 election

A new poll has explored what might happen if Donald Trump and Barack Obama were both allowed to run in the 2028 presidential election—even though that’s currently not allowed under the U.S. Constitution.

According to the Constitution, no one can be elected president more than twice. Since both Trump and Obama have already served two terms, neither is eligible to run again unless the rules are changed.

Still, Trump has openly talked about possibly seeking a third term. In an interview with NBC News earlier this year, he said he wasn’t joking about it and hinted that there are “methods” that might allow him to return to office. While it’s unclear what those methods might be, if they somehow also applied to Obama, it raises the question: who would win in a face-off between the two?

To find out, the Daily Mail and J.L. Partners surveyed over 1,000 registered U.S. voters. Seven percent said they weren’t sure or would vote for someone else, but a majority picked a side. In this imagined matchup, Obama came out ahead with 52% of the vote, while Trump received 41%.

Even when accounting for a margin of error of about 3%, Obama still had a clear lead. The former president performed especially well among Hispanic voters—73% of whom chose him—and Black voters, where he received 68% support. He also led among independents, winning 50% of their vote compared to Trump’s 39%.

While this race is entirely hypothetical and would require a major change to the Constitution to happen, it still gives insight into how the public views both figures.

The poll also included a few other questions. For instance, when asked about Trump’s current performance as president, 49% said they approved, while 51% said they did not.

Interestingly, if Trump were to run against Hillary Clinton again instead of Obama, the poll shows a much tighter race. Trump would barely win that matchup, getting 44% of the vote to Clinton’s 43%.

Even though a Trump vs. Obama race can’t legally happen at the moment, Trump told Fox News in March that it’s a showdown he’d actually like. He said, “I’d love that… That would be a good one. I’d like that.”